With China’s rapid economic progress and steady increase in its international
influence, China has gradually embarked on the soft power idea and has made
developing its soft power as its national strategy. We argue that China’s soft
power strategy is in accordance to Chinese Confucian culture and political value
and fits well with its grand strategy of peaceful rise. Based on existing
conceptualizations of soft power, we expanded the sources of soft power to six
pillars: cultural attractiveness, political values, development model, international
institutions, international image, and economic temptation. We also identified
three channels for wielding soft power: formal, economic, and cultural
diplomacies. Putting all the basics together, we present an integrative model of
soft power. Accordingly, we analyze the sources and limits of China’s soft
power and suggest how to improve it.